ABSTRACT
Planetary coexistence requires energy. It takes energy to build and maintain a civilization. This chapter crosses fields of science, philosophy, and religious studies to articulate an integrative concept of energy. It considers possibilities for summoning the personal and political energy to cultivate mutually enhancing human-Earth relations. Gilles Deleuze's concept of energy encourages a shift away from the superficial pleasures of consumerism toward a more joyous affirmation of life, away from a civilization oriented toward growth for the benefit of the few toward a planetary civilization oriented to participatory ecological democracy. Ethical approaches to energetic affirmation and celebration facilitate a transformation of values. They change the dream driving global civilization, shifting values away from the destructive dreams of individualism and human superiority toward the egalitarian and emancipatory dreams of mutuality, which are much more supportive of concern for the challenges of climate change.
